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We have reached a compelling intersection of what is and what could be. The fact that the protagonists are Pat Riley and Phil Jackson makes it all the more intriguing of a case study. At the very moment when the Riley-as-front-office-sage approach is coming under fire 200 miles south on Florida’s Turnpike, there is increased…

One half of the report out of the San Francisco Chronicle makes a lot of sense — Golden State needs an upgrade at the three spot and they have a lot of assets heading into the draft to make a move. But the second half of this makes no sense to me. The San Francisco…

There was a time, more than a year ago, when it was thought Harrison Barnes could be the top pick in the draft. He still has skills — he can shoot well, defend well and has a smooth, versatile game — but it took them a while to start to come out at North Carolina.…

Miami clearly needs something. Is that something a new, quality point guard? Is a guy used to having the ball in his hands and creating shots for others going to mesh with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the court? But the point guard line of thinking seems to have gained some momentum. There have…

The thing you have to understand is that I don’t think you can really study Erik Spoelstra and think he’s a bad coach. His preparation, his devotion, his work ethic, his approach, most of his tactics, and his overall intelligence make it pretty hard to validate what so many people say about him, just because…

Above you see some highlights of the post-game press conferences in Miami after Boston came in and stole Game 5, taking a 3-2 series lead (with the chance to close it out at home Thursday). Erik Spoelstra used a lot of vague coach speak and sounded more like a motivational speaker than a anything else.…

“We played good enough to give ourselves a chance to win. That’s all you can ask for.” —LeBron James, following the Heat’s Game 5 loss to Boston. Via Adrain Wojnarowski of Yahoo. That pretty much sums up the mental difference in this series — Kevin Garnett or Rajon Rondo or no other Celtic would ever…

It’s good to know that while the rest of us will spend the day killing the Heat for their effort and the job they put forth Tuesday night there is one young fan that believes they did their best. He was the lone voice of support as LeBron James, Shane Battier and DNP-CD Ronny Turiaf…

At age 36, Kevin Garnett has been the most important player in the Eastern Conference finals. Because of his play, the Boston Celtics knocked off Miami 94-90 in Game 5 and are on the doorstep of returning to the NBA finals for the third time in five years. Because of him the team that everyone…

With the game and maybe the season on the line, the Miami Heat were what they have been since October of 2010 — individuals. Dwyane Wade was the guy with the ball, standing out top and attacking off the dribble trying to find a seam to slice through. LeBron James was in the corner, motionless,…

This was the play that changed everything. Miami was up 6 and had been on a 16-4 run when Dwyane Wade makes a spectacular block on Brandon Bass at the rim and the usually sleepy Heat crowd bolted to life. But then Rajon Rondo made the play of the game — a touch-pass off the…

This game felt like the entire Miami Heat season — there were spurts of athletic, beautiful play, but they couldn’t sustain it. They wilted after the All-Star break. They wilted in the second and third quarters of this game when they shot just 29 percent in the face of Boston’s pressure. They could not make…

Neil Olshey came in to his first press conference as Trail Blazers general manager and said all the things Blazers fans wanted and you’d expect — we’re trying to re-tool not rebuild, we are in this to win for the long term, etc. But there was one interesting thing — it sounds like interim coach…

UPDATE 8:25 pm: Chris Bosh and his wife Adrienne have issued a statement (via Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel): “Last evening, a massage therapist that we have used for some time, arrived at our home to provide massage therapy. Shortly after she arrived, she fainted and lost consciousness. We called 911 and emergency personnel arrived at…

Chris Bosh is active for the Miami Heat. However he will be coming off the bench, Udonis Haslem will get the start for Miami against Boston in a crucial Game 5. The series is knotted up 2-2. Haslem is the third starting center for the Heat this series. While Erik Spoelstra refused to say if…

Two kinds of players rise up the draft board every year — big men and pure shooters. Florida’s Bradley Beal is the best pure shooter in the draft and he could go as high as No. 2 to Charlotte, although the Wizards are reportedly high in him for the No. 3 pick because they want…

Quality big men are at a premium in the NBA and so any time one comes on the market teams have to overpay to keep them. See DeAndre Jordan‘s contract. It will not be that rich, but the same principle is in play with the the Bulls this summer and Omer Asik. The Turkish big…

Mike Woodson is your coach of the New York Knicks. Mostly because Carmelo Anthony actually played hard for him, which led to a good record to close out the season. He got the team to play defense, so he gets another shot at this motley roster. But there was a point earlier in the season…

Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points. • RIP LaRoy Ellis (the first ever center of the Portland Trail Blazers). •…

Penny Marshall is a regular at Staples Center, a basketball fan there for Lakers and Clippers games. She’s been there for years and every staff person there will tell you how genuine and nice she is. I don’t know about that — she did cut me off once to get to the self-serve ice cream…